Recovery From Dogma

When I was a Christian, I had a hard time buying into the "streets of gold" view of heaven, even as a child.  It didn't even sound pretty, ridiculous even.  Later I tried to imaging eternal bliss and endless praise for God, but I just couldn't get there.   It didn't sound heavenly to me.  But I persisted.  Later I tried to come to grips with "greater consciousness", but struggled with any semblance of self surviving into a meaningful afterlife.  Whatever happens, the only thing that makes sense to me is that we return to the universe in our elemental parts, but the notion of a surviving soul still escapes me. Be that as it may, I do understand man's struggle for meaning.  We all live it every day, trying to make sense of the world and our place in it.  We struggle for purpose beyond today, especially when things are less than ideal; "There must be a bigger plan."  Maybe, maybe not. But in our imaginings, can we construct a vision of heaven,...

I recently wrote a whiny Facebook post about my bitterness due to a running-related injury.  I haven't been able to run for a week due to what appears to be a case of Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel. Running is my outlet, my therapy, my time to think deeply - alone - about all things deep, funny, troubling, and beautiful.  It also helps keep the weight off as I'm prone to overindulging in pretty much everything I like.  In short, it's essential to both my mental and physical well-being. A friend commented on the Facebook post - perhaps in jest, perhaps not - something to the effect of "What's your excuse for the other 20 years of bitterness?" (not a direct quote, as somehow the post disappeared).  At first I laughed then the gears began to turn.  Unfortunately, it really is a great question for me. If I'm really honest, I've displayed more than my fair share of bitterness for not 20 years, not 25 years, but for just over 32 of my 49 years.  In fact,...

I hate superlatives.  When I use them, they usually bite me in the ass.  And frankly, I use them way too often.  One of my friends once joked "Every time you discover something new, you think it's 'the best thing ever'!"  Guilty as charged. So here I go again.  I'm going to assert that the following is The Most Dangerous Idea I've ever heard, all wrapped in a meme with a quote from a very popular (and very wealthy) woman. I really do try to see where people are coming from when they state a position (sometimes more effectively than others).  When I'm at my best, I ask clarifying questions to help me better understand what they're saying, why they're saying it, and what gives them this point of view.  When I'm at my worst, I write them off, deem them idiots because of the lack of merit I find in there statement without bothering to dig deeper. This statement, however, is so off-putting on so many levels, I'm struggling to find further i...

From darkness to darkness Seems bound in desperation. Looking at the bookends, What good can there be? What hope can be found? Darkness; We know it by what is missing; In the events that happen beyond it. Between the ends We find light. Brilliant illumination; Vim and vigor flow where there was nothing Filling the chasm of indifference Springing from unknown places Burning from conversion. From darkness to darkness We find meaning Deconstructing and building In the now In the what is. No remembrance of what preceded it Supposing what follows it We have today In a life And in a minute. From darkness to darkness We live We love We howl And we serve . We look and we see, Directed focus. Choosing the gaze which suits us Be it the ends Or the light in between.

Progress is a bad word to some.  Progress can't be trusted.  Progress is of the Devil .  Progress is code-speak for an untrustworthy agenda.  Etc. Etc.  Those who cling to dogma and have their minds made-up, regardless of what information may become available will always think so.  They may choose other words, but the effect is the same;  Conversation becomes futile and you / we / all are stuck in place. What to do?  How long shall we endure such rigidity before moving on?  Why would we continue to argue, fight, coax, teach, and attempt to lead those who refuse to listen? Imagine a primitive tribe living along a riverbank.  For centuries they've hunted, gathered, and subsisted in a limited region and made sense of the world according to that which they've been exposed to.  Conditions begin to change, resources begin to dwindle, and one day a party of explorers sets out to find more fertile ground; And they find just that, down-river...

It's Easter Sunday and my "believer" friends all over the world are celebrating the resurrection of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  With all sincerity, I hope this is a day of peace, renewal, and celebration for each and every one of them.  It was not that long ago that I was celebrating right along with them. Rather than rushing off to church for such a celebration this morning, I've been sitting rather quietly while my family slept, sipping coffee, reading Facebook and Twitter feeds, but also contemplating the notion of resurrection and renewal.  What does it (or can it) mean to those of us who no longer believe in penal substitution atonement theology, Jesus as a "God-Man", and the like?  While I still spend a lot of time reading about who Jesus, the man of history probably was vs. the mythological notions so many dwell on today, church history, origin of doctrines, etc.,  there are still many biblical ideas that I find current and relevant from a ...

I recently saw a Facebook post by a "reasonist" page indicating that the author's Christian friend had become an atheist after watching a documentary entitled Zeitgeist , apparently without a word from the already-atheist friend.  The author was obviously proud that he/she had liberated this person from Christianity and turned them to "reason". I read the thread that ensued, watched the movie myself on Netflix then provided a link to a quality skeptic's site with a debunking review ( http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4196 ).  Many were a little uncomfortable with the posting about de-conversion and considered Zeitgeist to be an extremely weak documentary and any de-conversion with this less-than-scholarly work would likely not stand. Others criticized the author for attempting to indoctrinate the Christian into thinking the way they did about religious matters.  I've been grinding on this a bit for the past couple of days.   Many of the atheists / freethinke...